Tuesday, May 10, 2016

The following steps are taken to import a .dxf file that was drawn in rhinoceros (or AutoCAD) into your CAMduct database library. These steps are very useful for shapes that you may want to reuse in the future.

1.) Draw your flat pattern in rhinoceros or AutoCAD.

Drawn part that's been manually unrolled into a flatpattern.

2.) Export the flat pattern to a .dxf file using the Imperial CAM setting on export. (This helps if you're going to be exporting the CAMduct file to another third party CAM software for CNCing.)

Export Selected

3.) Insert the flat pattern into CAMduct by clicking File -> Import -> Items. Point the file path to where you saved your flat pattern .dxf. I generally temporarily place them on my desktop to delete after this process to ease file management. Especially since it is being archived to my CAMduct database.

Select .DXF that you exported in last step.

Accept the Item to add to your job list.

4.) Once the item has been added to your job list you will want to go to your job contents folder. Right click the item in your job contents folder that relates to the imported .dxf file, and then select in the dropdown list "Save as Catalogue" This will open a folder location and you will point to the folder to where you want it to be retrievable in the future from your database.

Image of flat patterns in a database location mixed with CID patterns and other .ITM file types.